As an over-40 newbie, I just hope I'm not the scrub-type you are all referring to - I always try to skate hard, take super short shifts, stay in my position, etc.

I've also only played in open hockey and scrimmages with other adult beginners, so hopefully I haven't pissed off too many people.

What I'm hoping for is more rinks / leagues to offer an over-40 division for us fossils, though I did play with a few guys last week in their mid-40s who were stupendous...

Sometimes a lack of skill with someone you play with is very frustrating depending on what he does.

Things that drive me crazy are the bonehead common sense plays like I gain the blue line (I play D) and have a winger trailing behind so I drop it back to the point where he is open to take my spot at the point and do something until I can rotate back there, he should carry the puck down the boards expecting me to get back in my position where he just was, even a give and go if he is unsure what to do like "here you take it i don't know what to do with it", not the best play depending on the sitch but better than nothing. The problem is he has his stick in the air and not on the ice, not skating and standing still, he wasn't looking for a pass and was watching something else .... not sure what, and the puck I drop back as a basic hockey play ends up as a 2 on 1 because he never reacted to an easy pass and it went past him by 6 inches in front of his skate toe.

If you do the basic fundamentals and make good plays in your own end then God bless you because it is rare for newbies to do that. I tip my cap to you for that.

I have only met a couple of them who had natural puck smarts.

I think it was Headcoach in here who stated what newbies do incorrectly the most is to always feel like they have to go forwards to the other team's goal on every play no matter the zone they are in.

No plays ever go back to the defense like they should with newbies on a center ice turnover, they treat it like a race to the other team's goal all the time and try to beat 2 guys at their blueline where if he had played it back to the D he could have made a pass to two open players in the neutral zone and attack with a 2 on 1.

The problem usually in their own end with getting into trouble is getting rid of it too quickly without realizing how much time they really have to make a play.

A new player takes a few years to get anywhere near respectable as a player.

Those teens you see flying around the rink and are good players have been playing for 10 years or more already at 17 years old. They didn't start last year, it takes a while to get good at hockey.